In the fall of 1960, Howard Knaack began building steel KNAACK jobsite storage tool boxes in a small, one-room shop in Crystal Lake, Illinois. Mr. Knaacks main outlet for these boxes was a tool supply distributor owned by his partners named Brock Tool Company.
Knaack LLC was the first to provide jobsite storage boxes to Chicago, Detroit, Hammond, Cleveland, Denver and Washington D.C. By 1968 Mr. Knaack moved the company to a 16,000 sq. ft. building also located in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
Throughout the 1960’s, Howard was looking to expand his product offerings to the contractor trade and recognized the need for a high-quality, truck tool box. In 1968, Knaack LLC purchased the rights to build WEATHER GUARD® Truck Equipment, a truck tool box line consisting of approximately 10 different models, from a sheet metal contractor in St. Louis, Missouri.
In 1981, the plant added a powder-coat system for WEATHER GUARD Truck Equipment and became one of the first in its industry to offer the benefits of ARMOR-TUF Powder Coat Paint. Also in the early 1980s, gas pistons were added to WEATHER GUARD Truck Equipment, making them easier to open/close and safer to use than previous versions or competitors models. WEATHER GUARD also introduced truck cab protectors and ladder racks, as well as organizational storage solutions, such as PACK RAT Drawer Units.
In 1984, WEATHER GUARD further expanded into Van Storage Equipment, offering a complete line of bulkheads, shelving, drawer units, van ladder racks and the BED RAT Sliding Platform.
To drive innovation and continue to lead the market, Knaack LLC has made significant investments in automation machinery and equipment, and increased capability of its human resources, improving plant safety, and making the plant more environmentally friendly. Knaack LLC strives to achieve lean manufacturing standards by utilizing such processes as Six Sigma, Kaizen Champions and Lean Kaizen Blitzes. Recently Knaack LLC made significant improvements in manufacturing automation by investing in upgraded fabrication machinery and a completely renovated paint line. These new machines and systems are capable of making accurate, quality parts in both long and short production runs, with the ability to switch between designs being manufactured at the push of a button, allowing Knaack LLC to be extremely flexible in the manufacturing processes. The companys current production line is truly state-of-the-art to produce the finest jobsite and tool storage equipment available.
How does Knaack LLC support the environment? Knaack LLC switched 425 tons of paper printing to Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) Certified paper, recycled over 850 tons of metal scrap, increased recycled content in corrugated packaging to 35%, reduced natural gas consumption 8%, reduced electricity consumption 15% by using light sensors and switching to high-efficiency fluorescent bulbs, improved the quality of discharge water by reducing chloride levels 30% and total dissolved solids 20%, and reduced air emissions 50% by switching to powder-coat paint process.
Over the past 50 years, Knaack LLC’s facility has grown from its modest start in a 2,000 sq. ft. shop to its first 16,000 foot facility at 420 E. Terra Cotta Ave., and now to its current 400,000 + sq. ft. plant. Knaack LLC has achieved strong growth and industry leadership, and has not stopped introducing new products, like the new WEATHER GUARD Hi-Side Truck Boxes, the new WEATHER GUARD Low-Profile Steel Boxes, the new WEATHER GUARD Van Solutions for the Nissan NV and Ford Transit Connect.
The acquisition of Knaack LLC by Werner Co. and the integration of the KNAACK and WEATHER GUARD brands aligns with the commitment to customer safety, product durability, productivity, and is a natural fit with the company’s mission to provide the finest products for the professional end user.
As Werner Co. looks to the future, it envisions continuous improvement in all areas of the business, as well as an aggressive schedule of new product introductions that are driven by end-user research to help contractors keep their tools safe, protect them from the weather and keep equipment organized for optimal productivity on the job.